A record-breaking US heatwave moves east, shattering March temperature records from California to the Plains and raising wildfire risks.
WASHINGTON: A record-breaking heatwave afflicting the western United States moved eastward toward the country’s centre on Saturday. It brought unseasonably warm temperatures to regions that were at or below freezing just a week prior.
Dozens of cities from California to Colorado recorded their highest temperatures ever for March. The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Centre confirmed the widespread records.
On Saturday, Kansas City, Missouri, and North Platte, Nebraska, both hit 92°F (33.3°C). Topeka, the state capital of Kansas, broke its March record with a high of 95°F (35°C).
In Wyoming, the least populous US state, capital Cheyenne set an all-time March high of 83°F (28.3°C). The heatwave also reached several other significant temperature milestones.
For instance, in Chanute, Kansas, temperatures swung from a record low of 13°F (-10.5°C) on March 16 to a record high of 91°F (32.8°C) just four days later. In Phoenix, Arizona, the daily low of 70°F (21.1°C) on Saturday was the earliest in the year such a level had been reached.
Cities recording all-time daily highs on Saturday included Denver at 86°F, and Grand Island, Nebraska, and Midland, Texas, both at 98°F. On Friday, the heatwave brought temperatures up to 112°F (44.4°C) along the southern California-Arizona border, a national US record for March.
The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for those desert areas on Saturday. It also issued a red flag warning, indicating high wildfire risk, for much of the central Plains states of Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Scientists say there is overwhelming evidence that current heatwaves are a clear marker of global warming. This process is driven chiefly by the burning of fossil fuels.
With the northern hemisphere’s winter officially ending on Friday, the soaring temperatures were wreaking havoc on wildlife in the West. Many plants and trees are already blooming, and vegetation is growing rapidly, fueled by heavy rains in December and January.
